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U.S. freight and passenger railroads performed well in terms of safety initiatives in 2012, marking the year as the safest in the industry's history, said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo. The railroads' partnership with FRA on projects such as the "Risk Reduction" and "System Safety" programs aim to further improve rail safety. "Our goal -- always -- is to lead the way to continuous improvements in railroad safety," said Szabo.

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The Federal Railroad Administration has finalized a rule that will require two railroad workers to check that handbrakes and other necessary safety precautions have been enabled before leaving trains with tank cars unattended. "Requiring that an additional, trained individual double-check that the handbrakes have been set on a train will help stop preventable accidents," said Sarah Feinberg, acting FRA administrator.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced that his chief of staff, Sarah Feinberg, will serve as acting head of the Federal Railroad Administration. As part of the FRA's oversight of the nation's freight and passenger rail service, Feinberg will help develop a new federal plan to boost railroad safety.

With full White House support, America should be running high-speed railroads by the end of the decade, writes John Rosenthal. Such trains "consume less fuel, produce less carbon dioxide, and promote urban redevelopment, which has broader environmental benefits," said Kevin Brubaker, deputy director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center in Chicago. However, Joseph Szabo, head of the Federal Railroad Administration, reminds us: "This is a 40-year build-out, just like the Interstate Highway System was in the 1950s."

With full White House support, America should be running high-speed railroads by the end of the decade, writes John Rosenthal. Such trains "consume less fuel, produce less carbon dioxide, and promote urban redevelopment, which has broader environmental benefits," said Kevin Brubaker, deputy director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center in Chicago. However, Joseph Szabo, head of the Federal Railroad Administration, reminds us: "This is a 40-year build-out, just like the Interstate Highway System was in the 1950s."